Relativity (323 Books)

The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance.

By: Albert Einstein

By: Albert Einstein

Excerpt: How does it come about that alongside of the idea of ponderable matter, which is derived by abstraction from everyday life, the physicists set the idea of the existence of another kind of matter, the ether? The explanation is probably to be sought in those phenomena which have given rise to the theory of action at a distance, and in the properties of light which have led to the undulatory theory. Let us devote a little while to the consideration of these two subjects.

By: Albert Einstein

This is an introduction to Einstein’s space-bending, time-stretching theory of Relativity, written by the master himself. Special and General relativity explain the structure of space time and provide a theory of gravitation, respectively. Einstein’s theories shocked the world with their counterintuitive results, including the dissolution of absolute time. In this book he brings a simplified form of his profound understanding of the subject to the layperson. In the words...

By: Albert Einstein

By: Albert Einstein

Sidelights on Relativity contains ETHER AND THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY, an address delivered on May 5th, 1920, in the University of Leyden; and GEOMETRY AND EXPERIENCE, an expanded form of an address to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin on January 27th, 1921. (Intro from Project Gutenberg)

By: Albert Einstein; Translated by Robert W. Lawson

By: Albert Einstein

Preface: (December, 1916) The present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics. The work presumes a standard of education corresponding to that of a university matriculation examination, and, despite the shortness of the book, a f...

By: Albert Einstein

ETHER AND THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY. An Address delivered on May 5th, 1920, in the University of Leyden How does it come about that alongside of the idea of ponderable matter, which is derived by abstraction from everyday life, the physicists set the idea of the existence of another kind of matter, the ether? The explanation is probably to be sought in those phenomena which have given rise to the theory of action at a distance, and in the properties of light which have le...

By: Albert Einstein

Reference Publication

Excerpt: Part I: The Special Theory of Relativity: // 01. Physical Meaning of Geometrical Propositions // 02. The System of Coordinates // 03. Space and Time in Classical Mechanics // 04. The Galilean System of Coordinates // 05. The Principle of Relativity (in the Restricted Sense) // 06. The Theorem of the Addition of Velocities employed in Classical Mechanics // 07. The Apparent Incompatibility of the Law of Propagation of Light with the Principle of Relativity // 08....

By: Matthias Blau

Description: The aim of these lecture notes is to provide a reasonably self-contained introduction to General Relativity, including a variety of applications of the theory, ranging from the solar system to gravitational waves, black holes and cosmology. This book covers the following topics: Physics in a Gravitational Field and General Covariance, General Relativity and Geometry, Dynamics of the Gravitational Field, General Relativity and the Solar System, Black Holes, C...

By: Michael Fowler

Description: This note covers the following topics: Frames of Reference and Newton s Laws, The Speed of Light, Michelson-morley Experiment, Special Relativity, The Lorentz Transformations, Time Dilation, Adding Velocities: A Walk On The Train, Relativistic Dynamics, Mass and Energy, Energy and Momentum In Lorentz Transformations, Transforming Energy Into Mass and How Relativity Connects Electric and Magnetic Fields.